Technopoly

            In Chapter three of Neil Postman’s Technopoly, Postman describes the shift from technocracy to the present day technopoly. The origins of Technocracy began in the late seventeenth century with James Watts’ invention of the steam engine. This invention led to the sprout of machinery in which lives would be facilitated. With its continuous growth, technocracy became a movement in which “society loosely controlled by social custom and religious tradition [was] driven by the impulse to invent”. Since then humanity’s focus has been to create other machinery in which humans would benefit.  Similarly to this concept of technocracy, the invention of the assembly line by Henry Ford led the people in Brave New World to improve their ways of living. Eventually in Brave New World this exponential growth in technology did not become simply a goal to facilitate lives however to become more efficient in an easier way similarly to what Frederick W. Taylor claims in his book called The Principles of Scientific Management. This concept in today’s world is also known as a Technopoly.  

            Both the concept of technopoly and Brave New World have origins in which machines become the ultimate source of power.  Although technocracy does not quite have a clear date it recognizes that at a specific time all technology has been on a constant increase. In Brave New World on the other hand, the beginnings are marked by “BF” meaning Before Ford and “AF” meaning After Ford. In both of these similar worlds there are also those who don’t bow down to these emerging ways of living. Both Luddites William Blake and Matthew Arnold warned the world of “mankind’s greatest menace” and the “‘dark satanic mills’ which [strip] men of their souls” similarly to John in Brave New World who warned people about the negativities of soma consumption, “Don’t take that horrible stuff. It’s poison, it’s poison.” Of course those others who do not see the faultiness of the emergence of a technopoly simply “make [it] invisible and therefore irrelevant.” How does this occur? In a world of technopoly one has no time for thoughts such as shown in Brave new world were all humans are made to be efficient in order to exterminate the thought process. The thoughts become invisible by “redefining what people mean by religion, by art, by family, by politics, by history, by truth, by privacy by intelligence so that [ones] definitions fit its new requirements”  

            Both Postman’s and Huxley’s views of the world are very similar in many ways. Eventually in both of these worlds, the way of living is significantly and blindly changed by technology.

           

           

           

            

the singularity

Janette de Dios

Period 4

9/25/11

            For centuries, humans have always strived to facilitate their lives by creating far more advanced technology. Since then it has become an exponential progress in which technology has gained the unimaginable intelligence. Arising questions however keep some concerned and others anticipated about the future. Predictions state that this concept of the singularity will reach to a level of intelligence greater than that of humans in approximately 30 years. The concern however, is whether it will be a beneficial or harmful movement.                      

The concept of humans merging in with technology, or “The Singularity,” creates an illusory advancement in human life. In fact this new movement to merge and “become super-intelligent cyborgs” marks an end to human civilization in which humans become “irreversibly transformed” (Time).  One common topic of illusory advancement is the subject of life extension. Many “Singularitarians” believe that with technological advancement findings, the human body can be rejuvenated once again and can also prevent reaching death. Following this process would require one to consume “200 pills and supplements a day” (Time). In Brave New World, written by Aldous Huxley, the character Bernard lives in a world where the concept of the singularity exists. The people living in this “civilized world” consume products that rejuvenate them and that make them feel “better.” By taking these medications their lives are becoming inhumane. Both of these parallels violate the morals of human life and are living in an artificial way. The article on the singularity speaks of humans consuming pills to become younger and in Brave New World, the author has characters who prevent themselves from aging. Although it seems glorious to live a young life forever, it is also shocking that in the future humans will no longer live normal lives because it will be shocking to see an old person. With technological progress, humans “[Won’t] allow them to live like that” (Huxley 110). Bernard finds this advancement unessential to humanity for the same reason that they are no longer living an authentic life. Their lives are now based on products and chemicals that direct their way of living.       

Although the singularity concept seems beneficial due to progress, in reality it is causing human existence to lose its authenticity. Humans are reaching a point where the unimaginable is in the process of being discovered.

http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/188/conceptions-of-the-american-dream

Janette de Dios 

Period 6 

9/6/11

A.P Literature 

Critical reading 

In the critical essay “Conceptions of the American Dream” the author Olivia A. Murphey discusses how the American dream is portrayed not only by an average immigrant but in novels as well. Based on the novels read, she explains how the concept of the American dream is generally portrayed as various things such as “material influence, career success or just overall happiness and prosperity.” However, in her subject, the novel Bone written by Fae Myenne Ng, this concept fails to become this representation in the eyes of the main character, a Chinese immigrant living in Chinatown, San Francisco. In this novel Ng exposes the failure of an immigrant’s attempt to achieve the American dream due to the difficulties and obstacles faced during the process of assimilation into an American culture. Murphey as the author helps convey this through her techniques of appeals

To prove that the concept does not apply to immigrants as a whole, Murphey sets a basis on a quote from James Truslow Adams that supports the body of her essay. In this quote the definition of the American Dream contains the element of the word “should” in which applies to her point that the American dream is not meant to be attained by everyone. She begins by appealing to the audience logically with the generalization that most people believe this concept to be intended for immigrants as a whole. With this generalization there are two out comes however Murphey adds in a third; the first two starting off with success in the concept of the American dream and the other stating the other obvious possibility by means of failure to reach the concept.  The first two possible outcomes of success are approached by the employment of an ethical appeal. She utilizes credible sources such as actors and architects and songwriters to explain what figures in today’s society represent these two out comes. However, by referring to Truslow Adams’ quote, Murphey creates and includes a third point of view of the possibilities that an immigrant has which is failure of achieving the concept.  

These possible out comes are then applied back to the novel Bone and related to the main character Leon Leong. Murphey points out that in the novel Leong eventually becomes a product of the American dream and in a sort of way partially represents all three of the outcomes. The first she states is achievement based on his culture. She explains how in the novel the character and his family moved to Chinatown to be successful however also keep their Chinese culture. The second she states is an achievement based on willingness two denounce a culture. She then also explains how while in America, Leon made an attempt to “be as ‘American’ as possible” by denouncing his Chinese name. The door to the third outcome is opened when she explains that the character receives a rejection letter from the army. Here begins the deterioration of the dream and the ascendance of a new out come. 

By the use of appeals and strong credible background the author of the essay is able to accomplish and depict her purpose. She uses paragraphs with flow and gains authority over what she is attempting to convey. Her purpose is that the concept of the American dream if often misinterpreted and does not apply to everyone or is attainable by everyone.